Spring: Ventral Energy & Your Nervous System - Opening your Window to Wellbeing for busy women…
Just as the morning light breaks over the spring hedge, our nervous systems have a biological invitation to shift from the 'hibernation' of winter into a state of Ventral energy and connection.
These past few weeks have seen glimpses of spring - from the fresh tangy lime green of the leaves on the trees, to the first buds and blossoms coming out. And of course the daffodils! After so much darkness this winter and rain all of these bright and vibrant colours begin to emerge! The world expands and unfurls around us, and nature turns it’s volume right up with the birdsong becoming more and more a foreground noise! And as we appreciate how similar we are - in this season we can become more invigorated and energised as we bring ourselves out of heavy jumpers and hibernation mode into a sense of lightness and energy.
My Somatic Metaphor: Time to seek, energise & take time to actively feel energy of wellbeing.
With the coming arrival of spring our environment can invite us all to think about what it is in our lives that brings us good or ventral energy, an energy where we feel connected, safe, social, uplifted. It feels like a breath of fresh air for our bodies, minds and spirit. Just as we open our windows in our homes to let fresh air in, we can also open up our own window of wellbeing, which gives us more room and capacity, and, in therapy, help us work through challenges that can make us feel stuck. Some of the biggest breakthroughs in therapy can happen in would you believe it - a ventral state of energy - where we can feel safe and gather connection for our sense of wellbeing. Somatic therapy is a place where every emotion can be met and supported! We can open our window to wellbeing all of the time as it is a practice - but at this point in the year it definitely is a good opportunity to capitalise on and ride on the spring breeze and good feelings spring can bring. It is so important for everyone, but especially for women in midlife - where our changing hormones can really start to have an impact upon our sense of wellbeing as a whole.
The Science: Finding Your Ventral State in Your Nervous System...
How do we open up our Ventral Vagal system? In the work of Dr Stephen Porges, (and one of the key concepts of our SomaSoul® Somatic Therapy in which we work is to work with Polyvagal Theory in the felt or somatic way) the ventral vagal system is part of our nervous system where we feel safe, social, and connected.
How do you know when you are in a Ventral state? Generally speaking, your heart rate is steady, your breath is easy, and you feel good in your own skin. There is a feeling of goodness, aliveness and alignment with yourself. When human beings are in this state they are curious, playful and intimate, growth, and even more connection with our bodies, ourselves as a whole and with others is possible.
A useful tool for judging where we are: The Window of Tolerance
Think of your capacity to handle life as a window. This is what we call the Window of Tolerance. It was created by Dr. Dan Siegel and has become a central piece of trauma-informed therapy.
Inside our Window of Tolerance (Ventral Energy): We feel grounded. Even if things are difficult, we can process them without totally falling apart or lashing out. We have a flexibility and are in good energy.
Above our Window of Tolerance (Hyper-arousal): This is the famous fight or flight zone. You might feel anxious, overwhelmed, or physically jittery. Our nervous system is not regulated, to differing degrees.
Below our Window of Tolerance (Hypo-arousal): This is the freeze zone. You may feel numb, exhausted, or disconnected from yourself and/ or others. Energy feels really flat. Our nervous system is not regulated once more, to differing degrees.
So check this out in you - how open is your window right now? The more stressed we get makes it really challenging to stay in the ventral energy and state, and then we can matters even worse by panicking or by checking out rather than meeting ourselves where we are, moment to moment. Firstly, please be kind to yourself. You may be here on this page as you are new to all of this and are discovering a little more.
Also please be aware that every day we are moving between and through these states and sometimes more than one state at a time. I get a little cross reading about self regulation currently on social media as though it means to be calm and be calm all of the time - that is so not the case and unhelpful and a case of toxic positivity at play. What is healthy is to have capacity to be with and feel the whole range of our emotions and not get stuck. Let’s stop striving for perfection which doesn’t exist and instead prioritise flexibility and adaptability.
All work with ourselves is a practice - it does not come overnight and sometimes we need to connect with another who we feel safe with to experience these kind of moments at first. So my suggestions below are things you have access to easily and can make a profound effect on your wellbeing over time.
Three "Spring Cleaning" Tips for Your Nervous System for busy women.
To help support your body and harness the energy of the coming spring, try these three simple ways to grow your capacity to be in a Ventral state of wellbeing:
Sunlight on the Skin: Spend 5–10 minutes outside without distractions. Feel the actual temperature of the sun on your face or arms. This sensory input signals to your brain that the environment is safe and will not harm you (your body is incredible at detecting what you need which is below the level of your consciousness) and will turn on those ventral circuits. If you do this first thing in the morning before looking at your phone you will anchors your circadian rhythm, and widening your Window of Tolerance for the day ahead by reducing baseline anxiety and improving tonight's sleep. For women in midlife this is such a big win as our bodies in midlife can suffer with sleep dysfunction, and as our bodies are stressed we too can start the day on the wrong footing. 10 minutes earlier waking up and being with natural light can give us such a fundamental boost to our welling - and is a practice for me that has really paid dividends!
Connection with Nature: One of my most favourite practices of all. And you can do this at the same time as finding light - sit and have your morning breakfast in silence and hear what we take for granted as silence in our electronic world but is actually the colossal sounds of birdsong all around us! It is proven that the complex rhythmic and melodic sounds of the birds have a direct impact upon our vagus nerve. Our body in the most primitive of ways hears that noise and makes a calculation that the environment we live around is safe for our body. These specific frequencies (between 1,000–8,000 Hz) promote Alpha wave activity in your brain. This regulates our nervous system, physically slowing your heart rate and deepening your breath - all hallmark signs of a strengthened Vagus nerve response. Furthermore researchers at King’s College London have discovered that this can boost our wellbeing for up to 8 hours! So something worth the time doing!
Mindful Observation of New Growth: Find one thing in nature that is changing around you, the blossom, the buds of new leaves or fresh spring shoots and colours. Really take time to drink this experience in for a full minute. This orienting to the ourside world, helps pull you into the present moment and can help slow down a brain that is moving too fast!
So, A moment to notice…
As you move through this week, take a second to pause and check in with your physical self.
Have I given myself some space in this day to tend to myself that is part of my bank account in which I invest in me and opening my window to wellbeing?
Where am I in my window of tolerance? Can I allow myself to know that I don’t need to get stuck in one place?
Can I just take one minute observing sounds, sights of nature that are supportive to me? And how can that change my experience?
Your body and nervous system, much like the earth, knows exactly how to renew itself. Sometimes, we just need to get out of the way and let the spring happen.
In wellness, and vitality,
Sarah xx
Are you curious to discover more? I have my retreat Opening your Window to Wellbeing which is a day to learn somatic practices from the wellbeing side of Somatic Therapy. It is a semi private retreat for just 6 women. Have a look if you are interested!
If you feel you need greater support Opening your Window to Wellbeing I offer SomaSoul® Somatic Therapy in which we work with the body and it’s wisdom to resolve what gets in the way of feeling our true capacity for aliveness. I have a Clinic in Shrewsbury Shropshire in person every Monday and can work with you Virtually through Zoom as well.
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